THE BLAME GAME

SCRIPTURAL TEXT:

Blame Now On Others

Instead of holding themselves responsible for misfortune, more Americans now blame others.

In past economic depressions, murder rates went down and suicides went up because Americans—trained in the puritan ethic of self-reliance and internal restraint—blamed themselves for personal economic failure.

Now when people reach a breaking point in frustration, they lash out at others.

 Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 868.

BLAME: The state of having been accused, correctly or incorrectly, of doing something wrong...

BLAME: The state of having been accused, correctly or incorrectly, of doing something wrong. Guilt is felt as a result of having been justly blamed for a crime or wrong against a person. Scripture portrays blaming others as a natural human reaction to events...

Guilt is felt as a result of having been justly blamed for a crime or wrong against a person. Scripture portrays blaming others as a natural human reaction to events...

Blame may often be apportioned by people on the basis of a misunderstanding, whereas God’s blame of people is just. Christians should seek to lead blameless lives.

Blaming others: a basic human characteristic since the fall ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Since the Fall the disturbed relationships and the severe divisions caused by sin. Note:

1. Sin disturbs a man's relationship with God, and sin causes a division between him and God...(; ; ; ; )

This has already been seen when Adam ran away and hid from God. The perfect relationship he had known with God no longer existed. He had shared and fellowshipped face to face with God, but not now. Adam now feared God (). Note why he feared God: because he was naked. Adam was...

This has already been seen when Adam ran away and hid from God. The perfect relationship he had known with God no longer existed. He had shared and fellowshipped face to face with God, but not now. Adam now feared God (). Note why he feared God: because he was naked. Adam was...

This has already been seen when Adam ran away and hid from God. The perfect relationship he had known with God no longer existed. He had shared and fellowshipped face to face with God, but not now. Adam now feared God (). Note why he feared God: because he was naked. Adam was...

• no longer perfect and innocent.

• no longer full of God's glory and righteousness.

• no longer like God.

• no longer in the image and likeness of God.

Blame Me Not

Ye call me Master and obey me not,

Ye call me Light and see me not;

Ye call me Way and walk not;

Ye call me Life and desire me not;

Ye call me Wise and follow me not;

Ye call me Fair and love me not;

Ye call me Rich and ask me not;

Ye call me Eternal and seek me not;

Ye call me Gracious and trust me not;

Ye call me Noble and serve me not;

Ye call me Mighty and honor me not;

Ye call me Just and fear me not;

If I condemn you BLAME ME not!

—Unknown

Thought 1. Sin has caused a great gulf—a terrifying division—between us and God... Sin separates us from God.

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me" ().

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles [sinners] walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness" ().

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" ().

"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" ().

"And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities" ().

2. Sin disturbs man's relationship with others and causes severe division ().

a. Adam blamed Eve ().

Thought 1. This is the way of sin, blaming others and trying to escape as much guilt as possible.

Thought 1. This is the way of sin, blaming others and trying to escape as much guilt as possible. Whatever happens to us—no matter the circumstances—we often lay the major blame at the feet of other

Whatever happens to us—no matter the circumstances—we often lay the major blame at the feet of other

b. Adam blamed God (; ; ; )

Thought 1. This is the way of sin, blaming others and trying to escape as much guilt as possible. Whatever happens to us—no matter the circumstances—we often lay the major blame at the feet of other

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" ().

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" ().

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" ().

Who is to Blame?

c. Eve blamed the serpent, the devil (; ; ;

"Therefore thou are inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things" ().

"Therefore thou are inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things" ().

"If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse" ().

"Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?" ().

"There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness" ().

"Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned" ().

Thought 2. We must confess and repent of our sins. (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; )

"Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" ().

"Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" ().

We must do just what Scripture says: repent and confess our sins.

We must do just what Scripture says: repent and confess our sins.

"Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" ().

"Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" ().

"I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" ().

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" ().

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" ().

"Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee" ().

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent" ().

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" ().

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" ().

2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon" ().

"But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die" ().

Who is to Blame?

If a person knows that the bridge over a canyon is gone, he erects warning signs along the road leading to it. But a motorist sees and ignores the signs. As a last resort the concerned person stands in the road earnestly trying to stop the motorist from certain tragedy. Still the motorist ignores the warnings, runs down the person giving the warning, and plunges to his own death. Who is to blame? The answer is obvious.

This parallels what God has done in Christ to save people from hell. Those who reject His efforts to save are to assume responsibility for the results, not God. God does not send people to hell. They choose to go there! God only permits it when every overture of his saving love is rejected.

 Herschel H. Hobbs, My Favorite Illustrations (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1990), 79.